Introduction

The Heart of England Way is a "semi-official"
long distance path, designed to link the Cotswold Way to the
Staffordshire
Way by means of a broad arc of rural country passing to the east of the
Birmingham conurbation. It was conceived in 1978 by a group of local
walking
clubs, whose members put in a good deal of work to bring what was a
series
of local footpaths up to a walkable standard, largely free from
obstacles
such as blockages, discontinuities and standing crops. The Way became
viable
in 1990. It has been rerouted since its inception and, since I
incorporated
it within the End-to-End Walk, it has been extended southwards to
Bourton-on-the-Water
and northwards to Milford. These extensions do not form part of my
route
and will not be included within the narrative.

Despite its proximity to the cities of
Birmingham
and Coventry the character of the walk is almost entirely rural. The
country
you pass through is prediminantly farmland, though its charachter
changes
subtly as you walk northwards. The Way leaves the diminishing Cotswold
scarp at Meon Hill to fall to the Vale of Evesham and its orchards and
vegetable fields, reaching the river Avon at Bidford. Flattish country
of cropped fields and little villages then gives way to the hillier
Arden
landscapes, dotted with woods and pastures. Grazing sheep give way to
grazing
cattle and then more crops, broken briefly by the Coventry suburbs of
Balsall
Common and Berkswell. Some splendid open country follows as you cross
the
low hills around Meriden, the geographical centre of England. The Tame
valley beyond is a post-industrial landscape, a world of water parks
created
from disused gravel pits, with vistas of motorways, power stations and
electricity transmission lines. Fortunately this section is brief, a
series
of wooded hills around Weeford being followed by the vast, prairie-like
fields of Packington Moor and the small cathedral city of Lichfield.
And
after Lichfield comes Cannock Chase, a world of wooded heathland and
long,
straight vehicle tracks much loved by cyclists. The Heart of England
Way
links up with the Staffordshire Way on Cannock Chase just west of
Rugeley,
and in consequence the last section of the walk described here actually
extends onto the latter route in order to reach the closest approach to
the town.

Logistics

This is not camping country. There are
campsites
dotted around, but they are few and far between. There are also few
hostels.
This is primarily B&B country, although some villages and towns are
so far off the tourist trail that even hotel rooms and places to eat
out
are in short supply.

It's good public transport country,
though.
Every obvious start and finish point is within about an hour of
Birmingham
New Street, making the Way ideal for tackling as a series of day hikes.
If the prospect of basing yourself in Birmingham doesn't enthuse you,
consider
staying in other, more aesthetic locations - I found that
Stratford-on-Avon
was an excellent base for the southern half of the Way, while Lichfield
itself served the northern half adequately. You do need to check on
public
transport times on Sundays and bank holidays, and remember also that
the
Midland Main Line - serving Rugeley and Lichfield Trent Valley - has a
surprisingly skeletal service even on weekdays. Some journeys will
involve
travelling into Birmingham and out again, but that's no real hassle.